“When will you marry me, Skylar?” The unexpected question brought Skylar out of her daze. She raised her head and gazed into his melancholic eyes. She searched her soul for an answer but couldn’t come up with any. Strangely, she didn’t want a contract marriage with him any longer.
“I will prepare the contract for you to go through. Whenever you’re ready, we can sign it and get married. I will apply for a license.” Skylar nodded, releasing him and scooting to her side. Her heart filled up with a strange restlessness, yet she couldn’t voice her feelings somehow. She couldn’t tell him she wanted a proper marriage with him. Where was the spitfire who could fight all her battles bravely? She had never been so tongue-tied before.
She lay down and closed her eyes with a sigh while Christian watched her confusing reaction. He was sure something was wrong with her. She was fine a minute ago. Didn’t she want to marry him? Then why couldn’t she voice her thoughts? Why couldn’t she fight his decision like she always did?
Christian gave her time to come to terms with his announcement and then glanced in her direction. She seemed to have fallen asleep. Maybe he would bring up the topic again tomorrow and ask her about her wishes.
The next morning, however, they woke up late and rushed to the construction site. The whole day, they couldn’t get a breather to catch up with one another. There was a lot to be done. After they bought the adjacent hotel, they wanted to merge the two sprawling properties to form a unique spa resort. Skylar was awestruck by the place, taking a deep interest in its renovation. Therefore, lunch was a hurried affair with the GM, Mr. Sartori, and his team.
The work was too much and couldn’t be wrapped up in a day.
It was nearly ten o’clock in the night when they returned to the hotel. Skylar showered, had her dinner, and went to bed while Christian attended to an urgent phone call. She could hear his agitated voice from the balcony, but didn’t give it much thought. It could be a work-related call!
The next morning, Skylar freshened up and looked around. Christian was nowhere to be seen. Where did he go this early in the morning?
She ordered coffee and breakfast and waited for Christian. Unable to wait any longer, she called him after five minutes. He accepted her call after a minute.
“Where are you?” she demanded impatiently, straining her ear to listen to the noises in the background. She instantly knew he was at the construction site.
“I’m at the hotel site to wrap up the work. Be ready. We’re leaving in two hours.” Skylar’s mouth hung open with surprise. Wouldn’t they sightsee today? He had promised her!
“Leaving? So soon? You said you had time at hand before heading to Zurich.”
“We aren’t heading to Zurich. We’re going to Cleveland.”
“Oh. Is it to attend the wedding? But the wedding was yesterday, right?” His words confused her totally.
“I’ll explain when I return.” He disconnected the call, leaving her gaping at the phone. Was everything alright? Why were they rushing to Cleveland? A sense of dread gripped her mind, and she called Caleb. She had to find out.
Caleb accepted her call just when she was about to give up. “Is everything alright, Caleb? Christian just informed me about his plan to visit you guys.”
“Nothing is alright. Didn’t he tell you?” Skylar frowned at his stressed tone.
“No, he is away at work. So what happened? How did the wedding go?”
“The wedding didn’t happen. Sebastian had been kidnapped. He didn’t reach the church. I’ll tell you everything when you come over, Skye. Right now, I’m going to the police station with Grandpa Ben.”
After disconnecting the call, Skylar sat dazed. Who could have kidnapped Sebastian? She remembered Christian’s instructions and quickly packed up to leave, her breakfast forgotten.
Christian returned after forty minutes and got ready too. Skylar didn’t prod him with questions after seeing his haggard state. They checked out and left the hotel immediately afterward, getting into a water boat to take them to the airport. Soon they had completed the check-in formalities and, after an hour, boarded his jet.
Skylar sat down opposite him with a brooding look on her face. The take-off went smoothly, and they headed towards Cleveland.
“I’m sorry to rush you this way, Skylar.”
“I know, Christian. I had a word with Caleb after calling you.” Christian nodded, massaging his knotted temples.
“This isn’t the first time Seb has disappeared. He has a habit of going into hiding for a few days whenever he is upset. I just hope this is one of them.”
“Hope so, but why would he hide now on his way to church?” Christian considered her point and nodded in agreement.
“You’re right. He loves Erica. He would never pull such a stunt on his wedding day. What is surprising is Erica’s uncle had been driving him to church. I have a feeling he is involved in his kidnapping.”
“Then why can’t the cops arrest him and interrogate him?”
“He, too, has disappeared with Seb. The cops are searching for both of them.” It was a grave situation indeed, and Skylar could feel Christian’s condition. He must be so worried about his brother!
“I wish they find Sebastian soon.”
“The investigation is on. They haven’t got a lead yet.”
The flight attendant served them coffee and breakfast. “Oh! I needed this so badly!” said Christian, sipping his coffee.
“I forgot to have mine, too.”
Both of them couldn’t relax even for a minute as they waited to reach Cleveland and get the latest update.
“Why don’t you rest a little, Skylar? It’ll take us almost 20 hours to reach Cleveland,” said Christian after lunch. Skylar nodded and went inside to rest her tired body. She had almost dozed off when the bed dipped and Christian joined her. In her semi-conscious state, she waited for him to pull her into his arms, but he didn’t. Maybe he was more upset than he portrayed.
In the evening, too, Christian was quite restless. He couldn’t get any work done until he received an update on his brother. He told her about the times Sebastian had disappeared earlier. From the conversation, Skylar realized how close he was to his brother.
“Even when I was at boarding school, we never lost touch. Seb was closer to me than my parents. He always called me to take an update. I knew about our parents’ last wish through him.” Skylar sat listening to him intently.
“Was he willing to marry me, then?” Christian slowly shook his head.
“No. He told me he loved Erica. He wanted me to pursue you, which I would have, anyway.”
“Oh!” Was that why he pursued her? Was it because Sebastian wanted him to? Although she was bursting with curiosity, she refrained from asking him anything. The questions kept on playing in her mind while he rambled on about his childhood. Christian was in a melancholic mood and he talked more than he ever did with her.
“My parents hated me, but Seb loved me unconditionally. He and Grandpa Ben were the only family I had. I never saw my granny. She died before my birth.” Skylar didn’t say a word, just listened. It made her understand him much better. She wanted to know what happened between him and his parents. Why did they hate him so much?
“Despite everything Seb did for me, I was jealous of him when my parents were alive. I deeply regret it now. They planned to get Lillian married to Caleb since the day she was born. Next, when you were born, they planned Seb and your wedding, completely forgetting about me. I was so upset. I wanted to marry you, but they didn’t pay any heed to my protests. To them, I was just a rebel who fought their decisions. They sent me away.”
Skylar caught his hand to comfort him, her eyes wide with shock. She found the missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle at last. This was the information she needed. So that was why he fought his parents! Over her?
“They paired you and Seb together at every damn outing you’ll went to. I felt so left out that I stopped returning home.” Tears pricked at her eyes, realizing what he had gone through. She wasn’t at all aware that she was the reason behind the clash between him and his parents. Everything became crystal clear to her. She now knew why he pursued her. Why he married her when Sebastian backed out?
“Yet Seb held no grudge against me. He backed off gracefully! I’m indebted to him for everything I am today.” She got up and sat down beside him, wrapping her arm around his torso to comfort him. His eyes were red yet dry. Maybe he was in pain, unable to shed tears as she could. She didn’t know how else to comfort him.
“I’m sorry you went through all that because of me, Christian.”